Temptation of Saint Anthony in visual arts
The Temptation of St. Anthony}} The temptation (or temptations) of St. Anthony is an often-repeated subject in history of art and literature, concerning the supernatural temptation reportedly faced by Saint Anthony the Great during his sojourn in the Egyptian desert. Anthony's temptation is first discussed by Athanasius of Alexandria, Anthony's contemporary, and from then became a popular theme in Western culture. The earliest paintings to employ the scene were Italian frescos of the 10th century. The later European Middle Ages one saw accumulation of the theme in book illumination and later in German woodcuts. About 1500 originated the famous paintings of Martin Schöngauer (ca. 1490), Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1505) and Mathias Grünewald (ca. 1510). In the modern era the theme has been treated by the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí and the French author Gustave Flaubert, who considered his 1874 book The Temptation of Saint Anthony to be his master work. Bosch The famous triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch: The Temptation of St. Anthony is an oil painting on wood panels. The centre panel measures 131.5 by 119 cm, and the wings measure 131.5 by 53 cm. The painting hangs in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, in Lisbon. Another versionhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bosch_-_tentacoesstoantao01.jpg of the central panel is found in MASP in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A copy by a follower of Bosch can be found in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and another version in the Prado Museum in Madrid. A third copy of what once was believed to be the original, now labeled by University of Pennsylvania art historian, Larry Silver, as a 16th century copy, is owned by the Barnes Foundation, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Jason Edward Kaufman. "Over-20 Old Masters Downgraded in Scholarly Investigation". Arts Newspaper. 14 October 2005. Subject Symbolism tells the story of Anthony's mental and spiritual torments throughout. On the right panel, Anthony attempts to look at the viewer, but his gaze becomes fixed on a table surrounded with curious creatures partaking in sin. The center panel, though, exemplifies Bosch's attraction to the saintly ability of refusing temptation. Anthony kneels at an altar with his hand in the gesture of blessing, yet pointing at a miniature Christ, and views back to the viewer. The Devil-Queen, other various temptations, and physical abuse are no match for his devotion, Bosch's most optimistic subject.Minnick, Nathaniel. Hieronymus Bosch's Triptychs in the Netherlandish Tradition, (University of Michigan, 2005) Dalí Modern Spanish painter Salvador Dalí drew a great deal of inspiration from Bosch's work, which had many of the features that acted as precursors to Dalí's own surrealism. Dalí's version depicts St. Anthony resisting temptations associated with a spider-legged horse and elephants. The "space elephants," distorted offspring of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's elephant and obelisk, are a motif in Dalí's work. See also * Isenheim Altarpiece — Paul Hindemith composed his work Mathis der Maler based on this triptych, of which the movement die Versuchung der Heiligen Antonius (“The Temptation of St. Anthony”) starkly depicts this using very modern musical gestures. * The Torment of Saint Anthony (Michelangelo) Dali made this painting in a parody contest witch he won 1st place in this rendition of boshes original. Gallery File:Angelico, Sant'antonio abate tentato dall'oro, houston.jpg|Fra Angelico (1436) File:Schongauer, Martin - St Antonius - hi res.jpg|Martin Schongauer (mid-15th century) File:Niklaus Manuel Deutsch 001.jpg|Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (1520) File:Wellens de Cock Temptation of St. Anthony.jpg|Jan Wellens de Cock (ca. 1524) File:Saftleven Temptation of St Anthony.jpg|Herman Saftleven (ca. 1629) File:Paul Cézanne 217.jpg|Paul Cézanne (1867/69) File:Fantin Latour The Temptation of St Anthony.jpg|Henri Fantin-Latour File:Félicien Rops - La tentation de Saint Antoine.jpg|Félicien Rops (1878) File:Domenico Morelli - Le tentazioni di Sant'Antonio.jpg|Domenico Morelli (1878) File:StAnthonyWomanSkull1900.jpeg|Film Temptation of St. Anthony (1900) File:Witkacy Kuszenie sw A 1.jpg|Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (1916/21) File:The Temptation of Saint Anthony.svg|Rabo Karabekian (Kurt Vonnegut) (1973) References External links *WebMuseum page, including images of the painting Category:Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch Category:Triptychs Category:1505 paintings